An Imperfect Christmas
by daphrose
Summary: A cellphone-addicted first century girl, a shepherd who can speak binary, a not-so-wise wise man, and a very tiny angel who's afraid of heights. As if that wasn't odd enough, Joseph caught the flu, the donkey got loose, and Baby Jesus is missing! How did this Nativity play go so . . . wrong?


**Where I live it's still Christmas Eve. I'm sure it's Christmas Day somewhere. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Now, I'm sure most of you know this by now (I hope you do), but I am a Christian, so I celebrate the "Christ" part of "Christmas." Thus . . . this story about a nativity play. :) I would encourage you to read this whether you're Christian or not. It's still going to be a fun story, I promise! And hopefully not too "preachy," if you know what I mean. ;)**

**In this story it's kinda established that the Lab Rats have been going to church for a while. Maybe it's AU. I don't know. Also, it's set during 2013, so sometime around 'Twas the Mission Before Christmas. Adam is seventeen, Bree is sixteen, and Chase and Leo are fifteen. Just so there's no confusion.**

**I would like to point out something really quick: I use song lyrics in this story. NOW, hold up, before you start complaining (*cough*Slurp*cough*), I ****_am _****allowed to use the lyrics that I do. All the songs that I used are ****_in the public domain _****and are ****_not copyrighted_****, so I have the full right to use them. I spent a ****_lot _****of time researching this to make ****_sure _****it was okay. And it is. I am using them within the FanFiction guidelines. Okay? Okay.**

**This story didn't turn quite as well as I hoped, and I only edited it once. (My excuse? I was lazy. :P) Hopefully you can still enjoy it anyway. I had fun writing it! All Bible verses are from the NIV translation. None of the songs are copyrighted, but I still don't own them. Lab Rats belongs to Disney. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>* * * An Imperfect Christmas * * *<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Glories stream from heaven afar.<br>Heavenly hosts sing alleluia.  
>Christ the savior is born,<br>Christ the savior is born._

Everyone in the room became quiet as the music drew to a close. Mr. Dwyer was smiling, and as soon as the music stopped completely, he began to clap. "Great rehearsal, everyone!" he said. "I'll see you back here on Christmas Eve for the real thing."

Kids got up and began to move around, talking amongst each other. I whipped off my head scarf and scratched my head. It was a relief to finally have that off.

"These clothes are kinda itchy, huh?" Cameron asked.

"No kidding," I replied. "I'm wondering how Mary and Joseph could've survived in this stuff!"

"I have a feeling it was a bit different. I mean, I don't think first century clothes were made in a factory." Cameron pointed to the tag on his robe as if to make a point. I laughed. "Well, it's time for me to get home. I'll see you later, Bree."

"Bye," I called after him. "See you Christmas Eve."

I stood up as Cameron, who was playing Joseph in our nativity, left. I wandered over to where my brothers were standing and cleared my throat to make my presence known. They turned and grinned at me.

"Hey Bree!" Adam said excitedly. "How do you think I did today? Man, I can't believe it's over already."

"Adam, that was just our rehearsal," I said slowly. "The actual play is Tuesday, remember?"

"Oh yeah . . ."

"I can't wait!" Leo said. "I got the part of _Gabriel_. That's huge!"

"I still don't know how you guys talked me into this," Chase grumbled, looking down at his shepherds' clothes.

"But you look so cute," Adam teased.

"Quiet," Chase growled. "And I have to _sing_, too?"

"You're doing it with eleven other people," Leo pointed out. "_And _the kids choir. It's not like it's a solo."

"True," Chase sighed. "At least I don't have to do it on my own."

"But I do," I said proudly.

"And me too!" Adam added.

"No you don't," I said, turning to face him. "A solo is just one person singing."

"Oh. Well then, I have a three-o."

"How you landed the part of a wise man is beyond me," Leo said, shaking his head.

"Hey, Bree!" I turned to see who was calling my name and saw Mr. Dwyer running up. "Great job today," he said as caught up to me. "Great job to you three as well. Are you guys excited for Christmas Eve?"

We all voiced our affirmations.

"Excellent! Remember to keep practicing your lines and the songs. I want this to go perfectly!"

"Okay, Mr. Dwyer," I told him. "But . . . what if it doesn't?"

Mr. Dwyer sighed. "Bree, I've been working in our youth drama group for years. You kinda get used to the disappointment." He pursed his lips. "_But _I'm working with teenagers this year, so we'll see if anything changes. And if not, hey, that's the way it goes. I'd just . . . like it to go well. See you guys on Tuesday."

We all said our goodbyes and I turned back to Adam, Chase, and Leo. "Hear that, guys?" I said. "No goofing around or Leo-ing this up."

"Hey!" Leo shouted indignantly. "I thought we agreed to stop saying that!"

"Bree, you're only saying that stuff because you're the star," Chase said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Am not!" I shot back. I shuffled my feet a bit before quietly adding, "I'm also saying it because Joseph is really cute and I don't want you guys to blow this for me."

My brothers started grinning and laughing, just like I thought they would.

"I'm serious!" I whined. "Cameron and I have been friends for a long time, but I really want to be . . . something more! If this nativity play goes right, this could be my chance."

"What wonderful motivations for doing a Christmas play," Chase said sarcastically.

"And of course I'd love to share the Christmas story with people," I assured them.

"Which story?" Adam asked cluelessly. I groaned.

"The one in the play," Leo reminded him. "The story of the birth of Jesus?"

"Oh, yeah!" Adam exclaimed. "That's a fun one."

"All right, all right," I said. "Regardless of motives, let's just do everything we can to make sure this Christmas play is the best one ever."

* * *

><p>I cracked open the door and peeked into the sanctuary. The pews were filling up with people. I found Mr. Davenport and Tasha in the crowd and grinned. I let the door shut and turned to see Leo behind me. "Are they out there?" he asked.<p>

"Yup," I said. "Third row from the front, left side."

"Great," Leo said with a grin. "Ah man, I'm so excited!"

"Me too," I said. "Come on, let's get out of the way."

The two of us walked further into the room behind the stage. Some young kids passed by us. The children's choir was going to sing some songs before the middle and high schoolers went out for the play. We would have to wait backstage until they were done. There were two entrances to the stage, one on either side. Throughout the play we would be going in and out from those doors. I didn't have to do it much, though, because Mary was in so many scenes.

Mr. Dwyer was bustling around the room, helping some of the kids with costumes and rehearsing a few lines here and there. The speakers in the ceiling let us hear the kids choir out front. I adjusted my veil as they sang "Joy to the World."

"Bree!" Mr. Dwyer called, running up to me. "I, uh, I'm afraid I have bad news."

"What?" I asked. "And where's Cameron? Shouldn't he be getting ready?"

"That's the bad news," the director told me. "Cameron's mom called and said that he won't be able to make it; he got the flu."

"Oh, no," I groaned.

"Yeah, 'oh no.' Luckily, we do have an understudy."

"That would be me!" a younger boy said, peeking around Mr. Dwyer.

I grinned stiffly. "Hi Elijah."

"How you doing, Bree?" the thirteen year old asked me.

"I _was_ doing fine," I said, folding my arms across my chest. It was no secret that Elijah had a crush on me. He made it painfully obvious. I mean, the kid was sweet, but he was a little to young for me and _definitely _not my type.

The last few notes of "Angels We Have Heard on High" rang through the speakers and I could hear the audience clapping. "That's your cue," Mr. Dwyer said. "Out you go! And don't worry, Elijah will be a fine replacement."

"Right," I muttered. "Come on, Leo, we're up!"

Leo and I walked to the door as the kids choir came back in. I stepped out onto the dark stage and walked down the steps carefully, kneeling in front of it.

Off to the side of the stage, a spotlight lit up Carter Diaz, the eight-year-old boy who had been chosen to be the narrator. He began to read. "'In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.'"

The lights came back on and I started to place the hay surrounding me into a jar. Leo ran out of the side door and I looked up, pretending to be frightened. "Greetings, you who are highly favored!" he said to me. "The Lord is with you."

"'Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be,'" Carter read. I trembled a bit to match the words.

"Do not be afraid, Mary," Leo continued, "you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Leo said all this with his arms spread out. He stood on the stage above me, facing the audience.

"How will this be," I asked him, "since I am a virgin?"

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

I bowed my head a little and replied, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

"'And then the angel left her,'" Carter read.

The lights dimmed again and Leo hurried back through the door. I ran down the side of the sanctuary towards the back. Elijah slipped out in the dark and joined me. A spotlight showed down on Carter as he read the part about the census and how the Roman emperor had decreed that everyone should go back to his hometown.

Mr. Dwyer met us towards the back and grinned. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"As long as I don't have to ride it, yes," I said as I stuffed a pillow up my robe. Mr. Dwyer signaled in another man. The man walked into the sanctuary with a donkey behind him.

"It's incredible that you got permission to bring that animal in," Elijah said.

"I know, right?" Mr. Dwyer said excitedly. "Now, hold him tight, Bree."

"Got it," I said, making a face.

Elijah and I stood on either side of the donkey. I put a hand on my stomach and waited until Carter was done reading about the census. Once he was, Elijah and I walked down the center isle. As soon as we were at the front, we headed to the right, towards some cardboard "inns." A young boy met us in front of them: Zack, the sixth grader who was playing the innkeeper.

"Excuse me, sir?" Elijah said. "Do you have any room at your inn? My wife is about to give birth, and we need a place to stay!"

"No, I don't have any room at my inn," Zack replied. "But I do have a stable out back. Do you think that will do?"

"Yes, if that's all you have," "Joseph" said wearily. I have to say, he was actually a pretty good actor.

Elijah took the donkey to a pole further from the stage and tied him to it. Then he returned to me and took me up onto the stage where the stable was placed. It wasn't lit yet, so the audience couldn't see us. The kids choir filed out behind us and situated themselves on the steps. Carter began to read the next few verses and I pulled the out the pillow. But when I reached behind the manger, I discovered some trouble.

"Elijah," I hissed quiet enough that the microphones wouldn't pick it up.

"What?" he hissed back.

"Jesus is missing."

"Huh?"

"The doll! It's not there!"

"Not there?"

"'She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn,'" Carter read.

The lights came up and I flashed a cheesy grin. Thinking fast, I placed the pillow into the manger. It was no Jesus, but it would have to do. The music began and I cleared my throat. I sang out:

_Away in a manger,  
>No crib for a bed,<br>The little Lord Jesus  
>Laid down his sweet head.<em>

Elijah began his part of the song as I finished:

_The stars in the sky  
>Looked down where he lay,<br>The little Lord Jesus  
>Asleep on the hay.<em>

The children's choir sang with both of us for the rest of the song:

_The cattle are lowing,  
>The baby awakes.<br>But little Lord Jesus,  
>No crying he makes.<em>

_I love thee, Lord Jesus,  
>look down from the sky.<br>And stay by my cradle  
>'Til morning is nigh.<em>

_Be near me, Lord Jesus,  
>I ask thee to stay<br>Close by me forever  
>And love me I pray.<em>

_Bless all the dear children  
>In thy tender care,<br>And fit us for heaven  
>To live with thee there.<em>

Everyone cheered as the song ended. Elijah and I exited while the kids choir stayed. I passed Chase as he headed out with the other four shepherds and three kids dressed as sheep. I whispered to him, "Good luck!" He gave a tight grin and went through the door.

Elijah and I wouldn't have to stay backstage long. I had originally planned to stay near the door and listen, but now I had to ask Mr. Dwyer about the doll. I found him and quickly told him about our dilemma.

"The doll's not there?" he asked in a frantic voice. Then he clapped his hands and said, "Everyone! See if you can find the doll we're supposed to use for Jesus!"

Outside I could hear Carter reading the bit about the angels tending to their flocks at night. Leo and the other angels hurried over to the door, waiting for their cue. I looked over at Leo and he shrugged before hurrying out onto the stage.

"I have an idea," Mr. Dwyer said as it became apparent that the doll was nowhere to be seen. "You all stay here and I'll be back in a couple of minutes." He rushed out the back door.

"What now?" Elijah asked.

"Just go and wait for our cue, I guess," I sighed.

"And if we still don't have Jesus?"

"We keep using the pillow," I said.

As we went over to the door, I could hear Leo announcing the birth of Jesus. Then the music began and they gave their rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" While they were singing, Mr. Dwyer came back in with a baby in his hands.

"This will have to do," he said with a grimace as he handed the child to me.

"What?" I exclaimed quietly so the people outside couldn't hear me. "You want us to use a real baby?"

"Yes!" Mr. Dwyer said. "He's my nephew, Ryan, and right now we don't really have a choice. He's pretty quiet . . . usually. We'll keep looking for the doll while you're out there, but we need to use him right now."

"Okay, fine," I said, gently taking the baby in my arms. The last few verses of the song died down on stage and Elijah stood with his hand on the door.

Carter read, "'When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."'"

Elijah and I hurried out. I placed Ryan into the manger as the shepherds and their sheep ran up and the angels went backstage again. Chase raised an eyebrow as he knelt down in front of me, but of course he didn't say anything.

"We have come to see the baby," one of the female shepherds said. I knew her to be Carly, one of the eight graders. "The one wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger."

"This is him," I said, gesturing towards Ryan. The shepherds moved in closer and gazed at the baby as if he was the most wonderful thing they had ever seen. Ryan giggled and cooed and inwardly I sighed with relief.

The music began and all of us, along with the kids choir, began to sing:

_What child is this, who, laid to rest,  
>On Mary's lap is sleeping?<br>Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,  
>While shepherds watch are keeping?<br>_

_This, this, is Christ the King,  
>Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.<br>Haste, haste to bring him laud,  
>The babe, the son of Mary.<em>

When we finished singing the rest of the song, the audience clapped as before. "'When they had seen him,'" Carter read, "'they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.'"

The shepherds ran out into the audience, clapping and cheering. "The Christ is born!" they said. "The baby is here!" They ran around the sanctuary, telling every member of the audience about "the birth of the child." I kept an eye on Chase. He actually seemed genuinely excited. It was neat. Once the shepherds were finished, they ran back up onstage and exited.

"'But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart,'" Carter said. I placed a hand on my heart and smiled warmly at Elijah. He smiled back.

The lights dimmed: our cue to leave. I made sure to grab Ryan and carry him out. As we walked off stage, Adam, Aaron, and Noah all walked onto it. Aaron and Noah were both in Adam's grade and would be playing the parts of the other two wisemen.

Once we were backstage, I ran up to Mr. Dwyer and asked if he had found the doll. He told us that he hadn't. At this point we would just have to use Ryan for the whole play. It hadn't been too bad, though. As long as he stayed quiet through the whole thing, we just might be okay.

Through the speakers we could hear Carter read the part about the wisemen. Adam, Aaron, and Noah began to talk about their "long journey" from the East. I grinned and waited for the song. The children's choir was in the background, but my brother and his friends were the main singers.

_We three kings of Orient are  
>Bearing gifts, we traverse afar.<br>Field and fountain, moor and mountain,  
>Following yonder star.<em>

_O, star of wonder, star of night,  
>Star with royal beauty bright,<br>Westward leading, still proceeding,  
>Guide us to thy perfect light.<em>

I listened with amusement throughout the song. Leo came up to me as the audience applauded and said, "Adam did pretty good."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I didn't even know he could sing that well."

The older boy who was playing Herod—JJ—and the two freshmen who were playing his astrologers—Morgan and Oliver—headed out onto the stage while the children's choir came back with us. I sat patiently while they went through the story. Herod wanted the wisemen to find Jesus, because he saw this new "king" as a threat. So he told the wisemen to come back and tell him where the child was so he could "worship him." Of course, Herod really wanted to kill Jesus.

Once the wisemen's part was over, Elijah and I went back onto the stage with Ryan. I placed him down in the manger as the wisemen came up to us. Adam placed the myrrh at my feet and smiled up at me. The other two wisemen placed their gifts at our feet as well.

"Guys, wait," Aaron said suddenly. "I know you'll think I'm crazy, but an angel told me in a dream not to go back to Herod. He's going to kill the baby."

"I had the same dream!" Noah exclaimed.

"Me too!" Adam added. "There are different ways to go back. I think we should take one of those instead. The baby . . ." Adam paused for a moment and my eyes went wide. Then Adam regained his composure and continued, "I want this baby to be around for a while. He's a special little guy."

Everyone who had been in the play came out from backstage. The shepherds, the various animals, the innkeeper, Herod, the astrologers, and all of the choir came out.

"'And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him,'" Carter read. He came over and joined the rest of us. Together we sang:

_Silent night, holy night.  
>All is calm, all is bright.<br>Round yon virgin, mother and child.  
>Holy infant so tender and mild.<br>Sleep in heavenly peace,  
><em>_Sleep in heavenly peace._

That was the moment that Ryan decided he was done being our perfect baby Jesus. He broke out into tearful cries. I smiled and continued to sing while patting Ryan and trying to quiet him down.

_Silent night, holy night.  
>Son of God, love's pure light.<br>__Radiant beams from thy holy face,  
><em>_With the dawn of redeeming grace.  
><em>_Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,  
><em>_Jesus, Lord, at thy birth._

A few cries were heard from the front row and I stared in shock at the donkey that was running around the front of the sanctuary. The man who had brought him was trying to bring him back, but he wasn't succeeding.

_Silent night, holy night.  
>Shepherds quake, at the sight.<br>Glories stream from heaven afar.  
>Heavenly hosts sing alleluia.<br>Christ the savior is born,  
>Christ the savior is born.<em>

The music ended and the audience stood up, applauding for us. We all stood and took our bows, despite the crying Jesus and the rampaging donkey. It certainly wasn't a silent night. I bit my lip and hoped Mr. Dwyer wouldn't be too mad.

* * *

><p>"Well," Mr. Davenport said as we met them in the sanctuary, "that was something!"<p>

We all groaned.

"And I got the whole thing on my phone," our father continued, holding up the device.

"Donald!" Tasha said, whacking him good-naturedly with her glove.

Mr. Dwyer came up to us and greeted Mr. Davenport and Tasha. Then he turned to Adam, Chase, Leo, and me and said, "Great job, guys!"

"Really?" I said. "That certainly wasn't perfect."

"No," Mr. Dwyer said, "but, like I said, I've worked in children's drama for _years_. You get used to the disappointment." He laughed. "But seriously, it was great. You guys made it work. And hey, it could've been worse. At least it all happened at the end. Thanks again for all your help. You guys made this a nativity play to remember." The director smiled at us before running off to thank other people.

"You guys did a great job," Tasha said, giving Leo a quick hug. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks Tasha," I said.

Someone tapped me on the back and I turned to see Elijah standing there. "Good work out there, Bree," he said. "It was fun working with you."

"Thanks," I replied. "Good work yourself."

"Thank you. So, I'll see you around, huh?" He gave me a wink.

"Sure, Elijah," I said with a fake grin. Elijah grinned back before hurrying off to talk with his family. Meanwhile, I turned back to my own family.

"Boy, am I glad that high school and middle school services meet at different times," I said with a groan.

"Hey, did you guys see all the stuff I did?" Adam said suddenly. "I mean, I put that jar of myrrh at Bree's feet like a _boss_! By the way, I've been meaning to ask this for a month, but what exactly is myrrh?"

Chase began to explain it to Adam. Leo talked with his mom and stepdad about being an angel. I thanked everyone who came up to tell me that I did a great job. The air was warm and inviting that Christmas Eve, even though it smelled faintly like donkey and there was still wailing somewhere in the distance.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that our nativity might have actually been pretty accurate. I mean, surely it wasn't as silent of a night as they would have us believe. After all, Mary and Joseph were in a stable full of smelly animals and old, crunchy hay. Mary was probably somewhere around my age, and giving birth probably wasn't easy or painless liked some stories made it out to be. Jesus might have been God, but he was also human, so I had a feeling that he did indeed cry.

That was life, though. Jesus might have been God, but that didn't make things any easier. Christ was perfection born into an imperfect world. He let himself be born in a stinky stable alongside the animals; he let himself get placed in a food trough—I wonder how many animals licked him that night; he allowed himself to be worshipped by _shepherds,_ lowly men who didn't smell any better than their animals. He did all that so one day he could die for our sins.

"Wow," I muttered quietly.

"What?" Chase asked me.

"Oh, nothing," I said. "I'm just realizing how amazing the birth of Jesus was. He really was the greatest gift the world ever received."

Chase grinned. "Well, that _is _the true meaning of Christmas, isn't it?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ta-da! How was it? Maybe not my best story, but I still liked it. :) It was fun to write. I love sharing about the first Christmas. Did you learn anything new?<strong>

**Question time!**

**1. What's your favorite Christmas song?**

**2. Do you have any fun Christmas traditions?**

**3. Have ****_you _****ever been in a nativity play/Christmas choir? How did it go?**

**If you guys have ****_any _****questions ****_whatsoever _****about the story or my beliefs, feel free to leave a review or shoot me a PM. I'll gladly answer any questions, especially about the birth of Jesus. I'll do my best to explain the story more if you still don't understand it. I wanted to share the true meaning of Christmas with y'all. :)**

**Sorry again if the story wasn't so great. I haven't had a lot of time for editing. And I was lazy. Really lazy. :P Meh. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed it anyway! My apologies for any grammar mistakes you might have seen.**

**Merry Christmas everybody! God bless! :D**

**~ Rosie**


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